How to Shop for "Fresh" Seafood

We are not immediately close to the ocean here in
Lulawissie. The Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast are both a long drive, about
3 hours to get to each. But in our
grocery store, we have a “fresh” seafood department located next to our meat
department. It is supplied by a seafood distributor from Atlanta, which is another long drive.

Now as meat cutters and butchers go, no self-respecting meat
person would be caught dead behind a seafood counter, but jobs are scarce
nowadays, so we must swallow some
pride once in a while.

Seafood in an open full service case is more delicate to
handle than fowl. The temperature and other conditions are critical to
maintaining freshness. It is very important that you as the consumer look for certain things in a
fresh seafood case that will let you know that the seafood you are about to buy
is safe, of high quality and is fresh.

Look at the overall
condition of the case. Is the seafood laid out in a disorderly fashion? Are
the trays dirty? Is the glass full of fingerprints and smudges? Does the seafood look dried out or crusty?
Are the seafood items sitting in melted ice water or deeply saturated in their
own juices? Are there flies flying around in the case or anywhere else?

If the items for sale look dried out and crusty or you
answered “yes” to any of the other questions, chances are you are not looking at
the highest quality seafood. At this point it would seem obvious that there was
no care in setting the case up and maintaining throughout the day.

Check for odors. Pay
attention to the general odor of the seafood area. If you smell anything fishy
or rancid, the case hasn’t been cleaned in several days.

Ask to smell your selection. Fresh fish does not have a
fishy smell. Fresh fish also does not have a mealy appearance. The flesh should
be firm and intact.

What NOT to buy:

1. Do not buy any fish with the skin previously
removed. Choose a piece of fish and have the skin removed while you wait.
Fillets that are pre-skinned dry out and go bad quicker.

2. Do not buy anything “fresh” that is farm
raised, especially Salmon, Catfish or Tilapia. Farm raised fish are loaded with dyes and growth
hormones, not to mention antibiotics. These additives have an adverse effect on
the body over time.

3. Pre-prepared cooked items like crab cakes,
salmon or grouper patties, stuffed clams/scallops. These items usually come
in frozen and are thawed prior to display. Ask for these items frozen, they
will keep better and longer. Never buy cooked shrimp, crab legs or any other
like item from the case. These items are all shipped frozen, and it is best to
purchase them frozen.

4. Just like beef, pork and chicken, do not
buy marinated or seasoned items. These items are usually about to go out of
date prior to seasoning.

5. Most of all, do not buy the "select cuts", or pre cut and weighed portions. These cuts are a rip off. The market offers you a 6oz cut of fish for 8.99 each, when you can buy it by the pound much cheaper. Example: Salmon runs about 8.99 per pound, but one market offers a "select cut" OF 5.5 oz for 7.99. That works out to over $20 a pound.

It is a safe bet to buy nothing
from the fresh seafood case except under the following circumstances:

1. The
market you are shopping in specializes in seafood (a seafood market).

2. The
items are freshandwild
caught. Ask the clerk to show you the COOL tag so you know when the seafood
was harvested. If it is within 2 days, it is a safe choice. COOL is an acronym
for the federal Country Of Origin Labeling laws. All seafood is required by
federal law to be tagged this way.

3. Shellfish
(Mussels, clams, etc.) must be alive. The clams and mussel shells will slowly
close when irritated. If not, they’re dead.

If you are leery about the seafood in the full service case,
go with the pre-packaged frozen items. Many of these items are flash frozen and
packaged at sea on factory ships and shipped right to the markets. Always check
the country of origin and the catch status, and make sure that you choose “wild
caught” and stay within North America (US and Canada) as the country of origin.

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